Taking commercial capabilities in-house appears to be catching on among football federations, with Concacaf joining the trend.
Concacaf has confirmed its exclusive US commercial sales agreement with Soccer United Marketing (SUM) will expire at the end of 2026.
According to an announcement on the federation’s website, the two organisations have mutually agreed not to renew the partnership.
SUM, the commercial arm of Major League Soccer (MLS), has supported Concacaf in selling commercial rights in the US for a decade. It has helped secure deals for its competitions, including the Gold Cup, Concacaf Nations League Finals, Champions Cup, and Concacaf W.
“Over the past decade, we have worked hard to transform Concacaf, strengthen our competitions, and create new opportunities for our Member Associations and commercial partners,” said Victor Montagliani, President of Concacaf and Vice President of FIFA.
“SUM has been an important partner throughout this journey, and I want to thank them for their commitment and contributions to our Confederation’s growth.”
Despite the announcement, the two organisations will continue to collaborate on certain tournaments, such as the 2027 Gold Cup and 2027 Concacaf Nations League Finals, which are scheduled for 25–28 March in Los Angeles.
A new in-house chapter awaits for Concacaf
Moving commercial in-house has become somewhat of a trend as of late for federations and other football organisations.
The United States Soccer Federation ended its commercial relationship with SUM at the end of 2022 after nearly two decades, choosing to build its own commercial operation.
Across the pond, UEFA has adopted a hybrid approach by managing most of its commercial operations for national-team competitions, but still working with external agencies in parts of its wider business.
Concacaf appears to have adopted the former strategy, hoping to obtain more control in securing sponsorships and managing relationships with commercial partners, an area that has experienced significant growth in recent years.
Its US broadcasting partnerships include FOX Sports for English-language coverage of the Concacaf Gold Cup and Nations League, TelevisaUnivision for Spanish-language coverage of those competitions and all Concacaf women’s competitions, and CBS Sports for English-language coverage of women’s competitions and exclusive English- and Spanish-language coverage of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Building on the momentum of these deals, the federation plans to expand its sponsorship portfolio and develop new relationships, which it will negotiate itself from its Miami headquarters.
“As we enter this next chapter, we are excited to build on that foundation, strengthen our commercial capabilities, and develop new partnerships that will support the continued growth of football across our region,” said Montagliani.
A post-World Cup opportunity
To say that the timing of the announcement is due to the success of the 2026 FIFA World Cup cycle in North America would perhaps be ingenuous, as the contract was always due to expire at the end of this year.
However, the market’s success, especially leading up to the recent World Cup, has definitely put the federation in a stronger position to go alone.
That visibility will likely have created opportunities for the federation to attract new sponsors and negotiate partnerships, with new figures and case studies to show its newfound passion for the sport.
Speaking to Insider Sport earlier this year, Chris Canetti, President of the Houston Host Committee, said that “more than 200 organisations invested over $500m into Houston ahead of the World Cup,” suggesting there is more than enough appetite for football in the country.
Despite the announcement being titled ‘Next Phase of Commercial Growth’, Concacaf didn’t share many details about its next chapter. Instead, it appears to be prioritising bolstering its internal capabilities and building on the progress made through its media partnerships.
